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FEATURES Was Winnie linked with alleged Israeli mafia man Shai Avissar? Posted Sun, 16 Nov 2003
The much-publicised mafia-style hit on Johannesburg socialite Hazel Crane on Monday a week ago levelled shock on the nation. It also came as a blow to the "mother of the nation" Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.
Crane, a diamond and emerald draped "commodity broker" convicted in 1993 for dealing in uncut diamonds and fined R50 000, was a close friend and confidante of the former first lady.
In the past week, stories have abounded about Winnie's long-time association with Crane. Less publicised, however, has been Madikizela-Mandela's equally tight association with Crane's ex-husband Shai Avissar.
Avissar was one of the leaders of the South African arm of Israel's Ramat Amidar gang. He was murdered in October 1999, allegedly by his lieutenant and rival, Lior Sa’ad.
Before his murder he enjoyed a long friendship with Madikizela-Mandela.
Avissar bought Madikizela-Mandela the dress she wore to former President Nelson Mandela's swearing-in ceremony in 1994. Crane lent her the jewels.
The two at one stage even made an offer on a luxury Cape Town house for Winnie, a deal that didn't go through in the end.
Avissar, who is said to have paid Madikizela-Mandela's grocery bills for up to four years, was no less than Crane, a financial source for Winnie to fall back on.
But his support for her was more than just financial. Avissar was at one stage something of a self-appointed crusader for Winnie's cause.
In 1993, he and Hazel came across Israel's then-ambassador to South Africa, Alon Liel, at Sun City. There, Shai introduced himself to the ambassador as a friend of Madikizela-Mandela.
"Winnie was already controversial then and they (Hazel and Shai) said very good things about her. They said she was just being hounded for political reasons," Liel, speaking from Israel, told Sapa.
Liel also said that later, during the Truth and Reconciliation Committee when he was already back in Israel, he saw Shai sitting behind Madikizela-Mandela, supporting her.
Winnie was later given amnesty by the TRC for the kidnapping and assaulting Stompie Seipei.
Liel said he was very interested at the time in the friendship a woman like Madikizela-Mandela was enjoying with an Israeli businessman.
"She was very friendly towards myself and towards Israel. You could even say she had a positive attitude towards Israel, which surprised me. Her attitude was we are opening a new page and that's it," he said.
Liel was not then aware that Avissar was linked to the underworld.
Institute for Security Studies' researcher Peter Gastrow says not much is known about the Israeli organised criminal network in South Africa.
However quite a bit is known in Israel about the Ramat Amidar gang and by extension, about the gang's agents in South Africa.
According to reports, the Ramat Amidar gang was the creation of Yossi Harari.
Johannesburg police Superintendent Chris Wilken says Harari was the "godfather" of Avissar and Saat, both of whom arrived in South Africa some time in the 1990s, along with some 20 thugs.
Wilken said the gang frequented many coffee shops in the upmarket Johannesburg suburb of Norwood, but primarily its Brazilian Cafe.
Harari, who is currently in jail in Israel for conspiring to commit murder, came to South Africa in 1998. While it is not clear whether he stayed with Sa’ad or Avissar, Wilken said he appointed Avissar as his representative before he left.
According to Wilken, Avissar was not a criminal in the league of Sa’ad and Amir Moila, who police are currently tracing.
"Avissar wasn't clean, he just wasn't as dirty as Sa’ad and Moila. Sa’ad has been involved in murdering people, Moila as well we suspect. Avissar was never involved in murder."
Wilken said it was for this reason Harari in fact put Moila in charge of the more hard-core criminal activities of the gang, while he let Avissar deal with the business.
According to Israel's leading daily newspaper, Ha'aretz, Avissar's "softness," his high position in the gang as well as his friendship with Madikizela-Mandela, were not to the liking of Sa’ad, who wanted control of the gang for himself.
Sa’ad, a hardened criminal, understood that Avissar's association Madikizela-Mandela would help legitimise him.
Ha'aretz speculated that Sa’ad knew he could never hope to compete with Avissar on this account, although he certainly tried. According to the paper, Sa’ad wanted to sever ties with Harari and objected to the amount of money Avissar was constantly funnelling to Israel.
After Avissar's murder in 1999, Winnie is said to have let her people lose, scouring the townships for his body.
"Avissar, Winnie and Crane were all very good friends," said Wilken.
Madikizela-Mandela's efforts to find Avissar came to naught, but in April 2001, the effort of the police finally paid off. Sa’ad was arrested.
He has been in custody ever since but is currently contesting the jurisdiction of the South African courts to try him. He claims he was abducted from the Mozambican border and brought to South Africa illegally.
Crane, a potential witness against Sa’ad has been "eliminated". She was not the first. Two other potential witnesses against Sa’ad were killed shortly after the Avissar murder, and Crane survived an attempt on her life in May this year.
Gastrow of the ISS says attacks on high-profile figures such as Crane are indicative of a lack of sophistication on the part of the Israeli criminal groups.
Crane was killed in broad daylight in her car while on her way to court. Madikizela-Mandela, who had often attended the Sa’ad proceedings, was on her way to the same court.
"Organised crime groups tend to go out of their way not to attract attention. They are low profile generally. This assassination, a high risk action, was not advisable from their point of view because it focused attention on them," Gastrow explained.
Sa’ad, the man most people blame for Crane's murder, is accused of killing Avissar - and Avissar, just like Crane, had close ties with Madikizela-Mandela.
But what exactly was the nature of those ties?
Madikizela-Mandela has to date refused to speak to the press about Crane's murder.
According to Ha'aretz, this is what Winnie, some time after the fact, had to say about her friend's conviction for dealing in uncut diamonds, in a case in which Avissar was co-accused:
"During that period, there were murderers in the parliament whose hands were dripping with blood and others did their best to finance parties that tried to kill us.
"It's news to me that (illegal trading in diamonds) is worse than that. Diamonds are a gift from God that were controlled by the previous regime."
Sapa
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